Feeder

ABSTRACT

A non-splicing feeder for which new carrier tape can be set safely is provided. The feeder includes a third sprocket rotatably provided on the insertion section of a main body, a fourth sprocket rotatably provided upstream from the third sprocket in the conveyance direction; third engaging protrusions which engage with engaging holes which are formed at a fixed angle on the outer circumference of a first sprocket, and fourth engaging protrusions which engage with engaging holes which are formed at only a portion of the outer circumference of the fourth sprocket.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to a feeder for supplying carrier tape in which components are stored.

BACKGROUND ART

As disclosed in PTL 1, non-splicing feeders which supply components stored in carrier tape to a component mounter without the need to perform splicing work have been proposed. With these kinds of feeders, a sprocket which engages with engaging holes formed in the carrier tape is provided, and the carrier tape is indexed by rotating this sprocket. In the non-splicing feeder disclosed in PTL 1, an insertion sprocket is provided near the insertion gate.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

PTL 1: JP-A-2011-77096

SUMMARY Problem to be Solved

With the non-splicing feeder disclosed in patent literature 1, when carrier tape being supplied has been completely fed, an operator inserts new carrier tape into the insertion gate. However, when the leading end of the new carrier tape engages with the insertion sprocket, the new carrier tape is taken into the feeder suddenly, leading to a problem in that there is a danger that the operator who is holding the new carrier tape may have their stance disturbed and so on.

The present application takes account of the above issue, and an object thereof is to provide a non-splicing feeder into which carrier tape is able to be set safely.

Means for Solving the Problem

In order to solve the above problem according to one aspect of the disclosure, a feeder for inserting carrier tape, in which many components are successively stored in a conveyance direction and in which engaging holes which have a prescribed relationship with the components are formed at a regular pitch interval in the conveyance direction, into an insertion section, and feeding the carrier tape such that the components are sequentially supplied to a supply position on a side opposite to the insertion section, the feeder comprising: a main body; a downstream sprocket rotatably provided on the insertion section of the main body; and an upstream sprocket rotatably provided further upstream in the conveyance direction than the downstream sprocket; wherein downstream engaging protrusions that engage with the engaging holes are formed at a fixed angle around an entire outer circumference of the downstream sprocket; and wherein upstream engaging protrusions that engage with the engaging holes are formed at only a portion of an outer circumference of the upstream sprocket.

According to this, upstream engaging protrusions that engage with the engaging holes are formed at only a portion of an outer circumference of the upstream sprocket. By this, when the upstream protrusion of the upstream sprocket engages with the engaging hole formed on a leading end of newly inserted carrier tape, the carrier tape moves intermittently to the upstream sprocket side. Therefore, since the new carrier tape is not suddenly pulled to the upstream sprocket side, this is safe.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a rotation drive section that rotates the downstream sprocket and the upstream sprocket synchronously is provided on the main body.

Even when the downstream sprocket and the upstream sprocket are rotated synchronously by the synchronous rotation drive section, the new carrier tape is not pulled suddenly to the downstream sprocket side. Accordingly, because there is no need to provide two rotation drive sections for respectively rotating the downstream sprocket and the upstream sprocket, feeder costs are kept down.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a conceptual view of a component mounting device from above.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a carrier tape.

FIG. 3 is an A-A sectional diagram of the carrier tape illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway side view of a feeder.

FIG. 5 is a cutaway side view representing an insertion section of the feeder.

FIG. 6 is a cutaway side view representing an insertion section of the feeder.

FIG. 7 shows the carrier tape in a state engaged with the third sprocket and the fourth sprocket.

FIG. 8 shows the carrier tape in a state engaged with the third sprocket and the fourth sprocket.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a non-splicing feeder with a tape peeling unit attached.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the tape peeling unit in detail.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the tape peeling unit.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional diagram taken along the B-B line of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional diagram taken along the C-C line of FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a state in which cover tape is folded over by the tape peeling unit.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(Component Mounting Device)

Hereinafter, description will be given of component mounting device 100 which uses feeders 21 of the present embodiment using FIG. 1. Note that, in the description, a conveyance direction of a printed circuit board will be referred to as an X-axis direction, a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction in a horizontal plane will be referred to as a Y-axis direction, and a direction which is perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction will be referred to as a Z-axis direction. Component mounting device 100 includes board conveyance device 10, component supply section 20, component mounting device 40, and reel holding section 50.

Component supply section 20 is configured from multiple slots 20 a, and multiple feeders 21 which are detachably mounted on each slot 20 a. Slots 20 a are provided in component supply section 20 lined up in parallel in the X-axis direction.

Reel holding section 50 holds, in an exchangeable manner, first reel 810 and second reel 820 on which carrier tapes 900 are wound. First reel 810 and second reel 820 are arranged adjacent to each other in the Y direction, and multiple of the reels are arranged in the X direction corresponding to each of the feeders 21.

Carrier tape 900 stores many components such as electronic components or the like consecutively in the conveyance direction of carrier tape 900. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, carrier tape 900 is formed of base tape 901, cover tape 902, and bottom tape 903. Base tape 901 is formed of a flexible material such as a paper material or a resin.

Storage sections 901 a, which are cavities, are formed as through-holes in a center portion of base tape 901 in the width direction at a fixed pitch P1 (hereinafter referred to as component pitch P1) in the length direction. Components are stored in storage sections 901 a. Engagement holes 901 b are formed as through-holes in a side portion of the base tape 901 at a fixed pitch P2 (hereafter referred to hole pitch P2) in the length direction. Note that, there is a relationship between the position in which engagement holes 901 b are formed, and the position in which storage sections 901 a are formed. In the present embodiment, component pitch P1 is four times the length of hole pitch P2.

Both side portions of cover tape 902 are adhered to both side portions of the top surface of base tape 901 using an adhesive 902 a. Cover tape 902 is formed of a transparent polymer film.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, bottom tape 903 is adhered to the bottom surface of base tape 901. Components which are stored in storage sections 901 a are prevented from falling out by bottom tape 903. Bottom tape 903 is formed of a paper material, a polymer film or the like and is transparent or semi-transparent.

Carrier tape 900 which is wound on first reels 810 and second reels 820 is inserted into each of the corresponding feeders 21. Also, carrier tape 900 which is wound on one of the reels 810 is inserted from insertion section 21 d provided on the rear end of feeder 21, and sequentially supplied to component supply position 21 a, which is provided on a tip portion of feeder 21 (the opposite side to insertion section 21 d), by feeder 21. In this way, components held in carrier tape 900 are supplied to supply position 21 a. Also, carrier tape 900 which is wound on the other reel 820 is inserted into feeder 21, but this carrier tape 900 stands by without being supplied by feeder 21. Detailed description of feeder 21 will be given later.

As shown in FIG. 1, in board conveyance device 10, a pair of guide rails 13 a and 13 b are provided respectively on base 41 of component mounting device 40. Also, a pair of conveyor belts which support and convey a printed circuit board B which is guided by both of the guide rails 13 a and 13 b and which are omitted from the drawings are provided in board conveyance device 10. Also, a clamp device which holds up and clamps the printed circuit board B which is conveyed to a predetermined position and which is omitted from the drawings is provided in board conveyance device 10.

In this board conveyance device 10, printed circuit board B onto which components are to be mounted is conveyed in the X-axis direction to a component mounting position by the conveyor belts while being guided by guide rails 13 a and 13 b. Printed circuit board B which is conveyed to the component mounting position is positioned and clamped in the component mounting position by the clamp device.

As shown in FIG. 1, component mounting device 40 includes guide rail 42, Y-axis slide 43, a Y-axis servo motor (not shown), X-axis slide 45, an X-axis servo motor (not shown), component mounting head 48, and section nozzle 47 (shown in FIG. 11).

A Y robot is configured from guide rail 42, Y-axis slide 43, and the Y-axis servo motor. Guide rail 42 is mounted in the Y direction above the base 41 and is arranged to be above board conveyance device 10. Y-axis slide 43 is provided to be capable of moving in the Y-axis direction along guide rail 42. Y-axis slide 43 is moved in the Y-axis direction by a ball screw mechanism that has a ball screw connected to an output shaft of the Y-axis servo motor.

An X-axis robot is formed from X-axis slide 45 and the X-axis servo motor. X-axis slide 45 is provided to be capable of moving in the X-axis direction on Y-axis slide 43. The X-axis servo motor is provided on Y-axis slide 43. X-axis slide 45 is moved in the X-axis direction by a ball screw mechanism, which is not shown, connected to an output shaft of the X-axis servo motor.

Component mounting head 48 is provided on X-axis slide 45. Component mounting head 48 holds suction nozzle 47 (shown in FIG. 11) in a detachable manner. Suction nozzle 47 picks up a component which is supplied to component supply position 21 a and mounts the component on the printed circuit board B which is positioned in the component mounting position by board conveyance device 10.

(Feeder)

Hereinafter, description will be given of feeder 21 of the present embodiment using FIGS. 4 to 8. Note that, in the description hereinafter, the term “conveyance direction” indicates the conveyance direction of carrier tape 900. In FIGS. 4 to 8, the right side of the paper surface is set to the front (the downstream side in the conveyance direction) and the left side of the paper surface is set to the rear (the upstream side in the conveyance direction). In FIGS. 4 to 6, upward on the paper surface is set to upward, and downward on the paper surface is set to downward.

Feeder 21 is formed mainly of main body 21 b, first servo motor 22, second servo motor 23, first gear 24, second gear 25, third gear 26, fourth gear 27, lifting prevention member 28, torsion spring 29, stopper member 31, upstream side retaining member 32, downstream side retaining member 33, first sprocket 61, second sprocket 62, third sprocket 63, fourth sprocket 64, rail 38, control section 39, and tape peeling unit 70.

Feeder 21 is mounted by being inserted into slot 20 a from the front. Main body 21 b is a flat box shape. Note that, FIGS. 4 to 6 are diagrams with a side wall of main body 21 b removed to show the internal structure of feeder 21.

Rail 38 is provided from insertion section 21 d at the rear section of main body 21 b to supply position 21 a above fourth sprocket 54 to first sprocket 61 along the conveyance direction of the carrier tape. The top surface of rail 38 forms the conveying path of carrier tape 900. Front section 38 a of rail 38 is formed horizontally. In the present embodiment, rail 38 is inclined to gradually increase in height from the rear section to before front section 38 a. Note that, although not depicted in the drawings, guide members which are separated by a dimension which is slightly greater than the width dimension of carrier tape 900 are provided on both sides of rail 38.

Each of first sprocket 61 and second sprocket 62 is provided, to be capable of rotating, from the front toward the rear (from the downstream side to the upstream side in the conveyance direction) in main body 21 b beneath front section 38 a of rail 38, that is, in positions adjacent to the supply position 21 a of main body 21 b. Each of third sprocket 63 and fourth sprocket 64 is provided, to be capable of rotating, from the front toward the rear in main body 21 b beneath the rear section of rail 38, that is at a position adjacent to insertion section 21 d of main body 21 b.

First engaging protrusions 61 a, second engaging protrusions 62 a, and third engaging protrusions 63 a are formed at a fixed angle on the outer circumferences of first sprocket 61, second sprocket 62, and third sprocket 63, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, fourth engaging protrusions 64 a are formed at a fixed angle only a portion of the outer circumference of fourth sprocket 64. That is, there is a segment on a portion of the outer circumference of fourth sprocket 64 at which no fourth engaging protrusions 64 a are provided. Each of the engaging protrusions 61 a to 64 a engages with engagement holes 901 b of carrier tape 900.

First sprocket gear 61 b, second sprocket gear 62 b, third sprocket gear 63 b, and fourth sprocket gear 64 b are formed closer to the inside than the outer circumference of the first sprocket 61 to the fourth sprocket 64, respectively. Note that, window hole 38 b (refer to FIGS. 5 and 7) is provided above each of the sprockets 61 to 64 of rail 38. Each of the engaging protrusions 61 a to 64 a protrudes from the top of rail 38 through window hole 38 b.

First servo motor 22 is a servo motor which rotates the first sprocket 61 and the second sprocket 62. First drive gear 22 b is provided on rotating shaft 22 a of the first servo motor 22. First gear 24 is rotatably provided on main body 21 b beneath first sprocket 61 and second sprocket 62. First outside gear 24 a which meshes with first drive gear 22 b is formed on the outer circumference of first gear 24. First inside gear 24 b is formed closer to the inside than the outer circumference of first gear 24.

Second gear 25 is rotatably provided on main body 21 b between first sprocket 61 and second sprocket 62, and first gear 24. Second gear 25 meshes with first sprocket gear 61 b, second sprocket gear 62 b, and first inside gear 24 b. According to this configuration, the rotation speed of first servo motor 22 is reduced and transmitted to first sprocket 61 and second sprocket 62, and, first sprocket 61 and second sprocket 62 rotate in synchronization.

Second servo motor 23 is a servo motor which rotates third sprocket 63 and fourth sprocket 64. Second drive gear 23 b is provided on rotating shaft 23 a of second servo motor 23. Third gear 26 is rotatably provided on main body 21 b beneath third sprocket 63 and fourth sprocket 64. Third outside gear 26 a which meshes with second drive gear 23 b is formed on the outer circumference of third gear 26. Third inside gear 26 b is formed closer to the inside than the outer circumference of third gear 26.

Fourth gear 27 is rotatably provided on main body 21 b between third sprocket 63 and fourth sprocket 64, and third gear 26. Fourth gear 27 meshes with third sprocket gear 63 b, fourth sprocket gear 64 b, and third inside gear 26 b. According to this configuration, the rotation speed of second servo motor 23 is reduced and transmitted to third sprocket 63 and fourth sprocket 64, and, third sprocket 63 and fourth sprocket 64 rotate in synchronization.

Downstream side retaining member 33 is block-shaped and is provided on insertion section 21 d of main body 21 b above the rear section of rail 38. Downstream side retaining member 33 is attached to first support member 30-1 and second support member 30-2, which are attached to main body 21 b, via shaft 34-1 so as to be capable of moving in the vertical direction. Coil spring 35-1 which biases downstream side retaining member 33 downward is attached to shaft 34-1. Retaining section 33 d which abuts rail 38 on third sprocket 63 is formed in front of the downstream side retaining member 33. According to this configuration, retaining section 33 d moves toward and away from the rail 38. As illustrated in FIG. 5, penetrating section 33 b is formed as a cutout on the bottom portion of the rear end of retaining section 33 d.

Upstream side retaining member 32 is block-shaped and is provided along the top surface of the rear section of rail 38. Upstream side retaining member 32 is attached beneath the rear section of downstream side retaining member 33 via shaft 34-2 to be capable of moving in the vertical direction. Upstream side retaining member 32 is adjacent to the rear of retaining section 33 d. Coil spring 35-2 which biases upstream side retaining member 32 downward is attached to shaft 34-2. According to this configuration, upstream side retaining member 32 moves toward and away from rail 38. Insertion recessed section 32 a is formed as a cutout on the bottom portion of the rear end of upstream side retaining member 32.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, stopper member 31 is block-shaped and is provided adjacent on the downstream side of upstream side retaining member 32. Stopper member 31 is capable of rocking due to shaft support section 31 b which is formed in a middle portion of stopper member 31 being axially supported by downstream side retaining member 33. Abutting section 31 a which is formed to protrude downward is formed on the bottom portion of stopper member 31 which is closer to the front than the shaft support portion 31 b. The rear end of the bottom section of stopper member 31 is stopping section 31 c.

Spring 36 which biases stopper member 31 in a direction in which abutting section 31 a approaches rail 38 is attached to downstream side retaining member 33. As illustrated in FIG. 5, in relation to the conveyance direction, the apex section of fourth sprocket 64 is positioned between the front end of downstream side retaining member 33 and the rear end of stopper member 31.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, lifting prevention member 28 is plate-shaped and is provided along the top of rail 38 between the third sprocket 63 and the second sprocket 62. Shaft support portion 28 a is formed on the front end of lifting prevention member 28, and shaft support portion 28 a is axially supported on shaft portion 21 c which is provided in main body 21 b, and, lifting prevention member 28 is attached to main body 21 b to be capable of rocking. Guide section 28 b which is bent upward is formed on the rear end of lifting prevention member 28. Torsion spring 29 is attached to main body 21 b above lifting prevention member 28 and biases lifting prevention member 28 downward. The bottom surface of lifting prevention member 28 comes into close contact with the top surface of rail 38 due to torsion spring 29.

Note that, space 38 c is formed above rail 38 between second sprocket 62 and third sprocket 63.

Control section 39 controls feeder 21 and controls the rotation of first servo motor 22 and second servo motor 23. Control section 39 includes a microprocessor and a driver which supplies the drive currents to servo motors 22 and 23.

First sensor 65 which detects the presence or absence of carrier tape 900 and outputs that detection signal to control section 39 is provided in main body 21 b on the downstream side of third sprocket 63. First sensor 65 is a sensor which detects a boundary portion between conveyance tape 910 and standby tape 920 which are described later. Second sensor 66 which detects the presence or absence of carrier tape 900 and outputs that detection signal to control section 39 is provided in main body 21 b on the upstream side of second sprocket 62. Description will be given of the role of second sensor 66 later. In the present embodiment, first sensor 65 and second sensor 66 are contact type sensors, but the sensor type is not limited to this, and there is no hindrance to using a proximity sensor, a photoelectric sensor, or the like.

(Tape Peeling Unit)

Next, tape peeling unit 70 of the present embodiment will be described using FIGS. 9 to 14. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, at the upper section of the front section of feeder 21, tape peeling unit 70 is detachably provided on main body 21 b of feeder 21. Tape peeling unit 70 is for peeling cover tape 902 of carrier tape 900 which has been fed to supply position 21 a.

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 13, tape peeling unit 70 has box-shaped unit main body 71 the bottom side of which is open. The front and rear of both side walls 71 a and 71 b of unit main body 71 are fixed to both side surfaces of feeder main body 21 b using a fastening means such as a screw. Carrier tape 900 is guided between both of the side walls 71 a and 71 b. As shown in FIG. 10, cutout 71 c 1 is formed in the front section of upper wall 71 c of unit main body 71. As shown in FIG. 11, the front section of cutout 71 c 1 is supply position 21 a, and a component stored in storage section 901 a of carrier tape 900 is picked up and removed by suction nozzle 47 from this cutout 71 c 1.

As shown in FIG. 11, first sprocket 61 is provided on main body 21 b at supply position 21 a (cutout 71 c 1) at the downstream side in the conveyance direction. That is, first engaging protrusion 61 a positioned at the apex section of first sprocket 61 is positioned at the downstream side in the conveyance direction of cutout 71 c 1 (supply position 21 a).

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, plated shaped cutter member 72 is fixed to upper wall 71 c of unit main body 71 in a position above rail 38 (carrier tape 900) so as to cover cutout 71 c 1. Cutting edge 72 a with a sharp tip that peels cover tape 902 of carrier tape 900 is provided at the rear of cutter member 72.

As shown in FIG. 11, second sprocket 62 is provided at the downstream side in the conveyance direction of cutting edge 72 a of cutter member 72. That is, second engaging protrusion 62 a positioned at the apex section of second sprocket 62 is positioned at the downstream side of the conveyance direction of cutting edge 72 a of cutter member 72.

Both edges of cover tape 902 are adhered to the carrier tape 900 and cutting edge 72 a of cutter member 72 is provided in a position corresponding to one edge (the edge at the engagement hole 901 b side) of cover tape 902. Cutting edge 72 a of cutter member 72 is interposed between base tape 901 and cover tape 902 as carrier tape 900 is fed so as to peel one edge of cover tape 902 while maintaining the adhered state of the other edge of cover tape 902.

Note that, when engaging hole 901 b of carrier tape 900 is engaged with first engaging protrusion 61 a, carrier tape 900 is pulled by first sprocket 61, and an edge section of cover tape 902 is peeled by cutting edge 72 a of cutter member 72. On the other hand, when preceding carrier tape 900 has been fully fed to feeder 21 and an engaging hole 901 b formed in the leading end of new carrier tape 900 is engaged only with second engaging protrusion 62 a, carrier tape 900 is pushed onto cutter member 72 by second sprocket 62 and an edge section of cover tape 902 is peeled by cutting edge 72 a of cutter member 72.

As shown in FIG. 10, plate-shaped fold-over member 73 is provided on upper wall 71 c of unit main body 71 such that a small gap is formed between fold-over member 73 and the top surface of carrier tape 900. Fold-over member 73 erects and folds over one of the edges of peeled cover tape 902. Inclined surface 73 a which is inclined in the width direction of cover tape 902 is formed on fold-over member 73 across a predetermined length along the feeding direction of carrier tape 900. Inclined surface 73 a of fold-over member 73 protrudes in the width direction of cover tape 902 in relation to cutter member 72.

Fold-over member 73 folds over the one of edges of cover tape 902 which is peeled by cutting edge 72 a of cutter member 72 such that the edge of cover tape 902 is gradually erected by inclined surface 73 a, thus opening (exposing) the top surface of storage section 901 a in which the component which is supplied to the component supply position 21 a is stored. As illustrated in FIG. 14, cover tape 902 which is folded over by inclined surface 73 a of fold-over member 73 is forcefully inserted into the gap between fold-over member 73 and the top surface of carrier tape 900 (base tape 901) such that the open state of the top surface of storage section 901 a is maintained.

By adopting this configuration, as with conventional art, individual collection mechanisms which fold over and collect cover tape 902 become unnecessary, and cover tape 902 becomes capable of being collected together with base tape 901 of carrier tape 900. Note that, 74 in FIG. 9 is a guide for collecting cover tape 902 and carrier tape 900, and is fixed to the tip portion of main body 21 b.

(Feeder Operation)

Hereinafter, description will be given of operations of feeder 21. A worker inserts carrier tape 900 between the insertion recessed section 32 a and the rear end of rail 38 which are illustrated in FIG. 4. When this is done, fourth engaging protrusions 64 a engage with engagement holes 901 b which are formed in the leading end of the inserted carrier tape 900, and the carrier tape 900 is conveyed to third sprocket 63 by fourth sprocket 64. Since fourth engaging protrusions 64 a are only formed in a portion of the outer circumference of fourth sprocket 64, inserted carrier tape 900 is only fed to the downstream side when fourth engaging protrusions 64 a engage with engagement holes 901 b which are formed in the leading end of the inserted carrier tape 900; when fourth engaging protrusions 64 a are not engaged with engagement holes 901 b which are formed in the leading end portion of the inserted carrier tape 900, carrier tape 900 is not fed to the downstream side. Accordingly, carrier tape 900 is moved intermittently to the third sprocket 63 side.

The leading end of carrier tape 900 which is supplied to the downstream side by fourth sprocket 64 enters below retaining section 33 d from penetrating section 33 b. When engagement holes 901 b which are formed in the leading portion of carrier tape 900 are engaged with third engaging protrusions 63 a, carrier tape 900 is conveyed to second sprocket 62 by third sprocket 63. Since third engaging protrusions 63 a are formed along the entire circumference of the outer circumference of third sprocket 63, carrier tape 900 is conveyed to second sprocket 62 side in a short time. Note that, conveyance tape 910 is pushed from above by retaining section 33 d and the engagement between engagement holes 901 b and third engaging protrusions 36 a is not released.

The tip of carrier tape 900 enters beneath lifting prevention member 28 from between guide section 28 b and rail 38. The tip of carrier tape 900 is suppressed from lifting up from rail 38 by lifting prevention member 28 and is conveyed to second sprocket 62.

When second sensor 66 detects the leading end of carrier tape 900 which is conveyed thereto by third sprocket 63, first servo motor 22 and second servo motor 23 intermittently rotate sprockets 61 to 64 by component pitch P1 (illustrated in FIG. 2). When engagement holes 901 b which are formed on the leading end section of carrier tape 900 engage with second engaging protrusions 62 a, carrier tape 900 is fed to tape peeling unit 70 by second sprocket 62 and cover tape 902 is peeled from carrier tape 900 by tape peeling unit 70. When engagement holes 901 b which are formed on the leading end section of carrier tape 900 engage with first engaging protrusions 61 a, components which are stored in carrier tape 900 are sequentially positioned in supply position 21 a so as to be supplied by first sprocket 61.

While conveyance tape 910 which is carrier tape 900 being conveyed is being conveyed by the feeder 21, as illustrated in FIG. 5, conveyance tape 910 presses abutting section 31 a, stopper member 31 c rocks in a direction acting against the biasing force of spring 36 such that stopping section 31 c approaches rail 38, thus the rear-bottom end of stopper member 31 contacts the top surface of conveyance tape 910.

The worker inserts standby tape 920, which is the carrier tape 900 that stands by, between insertion recessed section 32 a and conveyance tape 910. When this is done, since the rear-bottom end of stopper member 31 contacts the top surface of conveyance tape 910, the tip of standby tape 920 abuts stopping section 31 c of stopper member 31, conveyance to the downstream of standby tape 920 is prevented, and standby tape 920 stands by above conveyance tape 910.

Standby tape 920 is pushed into conveyance tape 910 by upstream side retaining member 32. Therefore, lifting of the tip of standby tape 920 from conveyance tape 910 is prevented, and the entering of the tip of standby tape 920 between the front end of upstream side retaining member 32 and the rear end of stopper member 31 is prevented.

Note that, conveyance tape 910 is wound on reel 810 which is on the front side. Standby tape 920 is wound on reel 820 which is on the rear side.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the tail end of conveyance tape 910 is conveyed closer to the downstream side than the leading end of standby tape 920, standby tape 920 assumes a state of being on rail 38, and engagement holes 901 b which are formed in the leading section of standby tape 920 are engaged with fourth engaging protrusions 64 a. The tip of carrier tape 900 which is supplied by fourth sprocket 64 enters below retaining section 33 d from penetrating section 33 b. When engagement holes 901 b which are formed in the leading section of carrier tape 900 are engaged with third engaging protrusions 63 a, carrier tape 900 is conveyed to second sprocket 62 by third sprocket 63 and is conveyed to supply position 21 a as described above.

When the leading end of carrier tape 900 which was standby tape 920 presses the abutting portion 31 a, stopper member 31 rocks in a direction against the biasing force of spring 36, such that stopping portion 31 c approaches the top surface of rail 38, and the rear-bottom end of stopper member 31 comes into contact with the new conveyance tape 910 (the old standby tape 920).

The worker removes the used reel 810 for which all of the conveyance tape 910 has been supplied from reel holding section 50 and causes the reel holding section 50 to hold the reel 820 on which new standby tape 920 is wound. The worker sets the new standby tape 920 by inserting the leading end of the new standby tape 920 between insertion recessed portion 32 a and conveyance tape 910. As described above, since the rear-bottom end of stopper member 31 contacts the new conveyance tape 910, the tip of the new standby tape 920 abuts stopping portion 31 c of stopper member 31, conveyance to the downstream of the standby tape 920 is prevented, and standby tape 920 stands by above conveyance tape 910.

Advantageous Effects of the Embodiment

As is apparent from the above description, as shown in FIG. 7, fourth engaging protrusions 64 a (upstream engaging protrusions) that engage with engaging holes 901 b are provided at only a portion of the outer circumference of fourth sprocket 64 (upstream sprocket). By this, inserted new carrier tape 900 is only fed to the downstream side when fourth engaging protrusions 64 a engage with engagement holes 901 b which are formed in the leading end of the inserted carrier tape 900. Accordingly, carrier tape 900 is moved intermittently to the third sprocket 63 side. Therefore, since new carrier tape 900 is not suddenly pulled to the third sprocket 63 side, this is safe.

Also, without providing two servo motors for respectively rotating third sprocket 63 and fourth sprocket 64, a configuration is realized in which, even when third sprocket 63 and fourth sprocket 64 are rotated synchronously by the same second servo motor 23 (rotation drive section), new carrier tape 900 is not pulled suddenly to the downstream sprocket 63 side. This means the cost of feeder 21 can be curtailed.

(Other Effects)

With non-splicing feeders, knowing the point at which carrier tape was switched from downstream carrier tape 900 to upstream carrier tape 900 is important for production management such as the tracking of defective lots, and management of remaining quantities of components stored in carrier tape 900. Further, conventionally there is no open interval between the tail end of downstream carrier tape 900 and the leading end of upstream carrier tape 900, leading to the problem that detection errors occur with the sensor at the point of switching.

In the present embodiment, third engaging protrusions 63 a are formed along the entire circumference of the outer circumference of third sprocket 63, whereas fourth engaging protrusions 64 a are formed at only a portion of the outer circumference of fourth sprocket 64. Due to this, as shown in FIG. 7, when the tail end of conveyance tape 910 is fed further downstream than the leading end of standby tape 920, conveyance tape 910 engages with third sprocket 63, hence conveyance tape 910 is fed downstream by the rotation amount of third sprocket 63. Conversely, even though fourth sprocket 64 rotates, standby tape 920 is fed downstream only while fourth engaging protrusions 64 a are engaged, thus standby tape 920 is moved intermittently to the third sprocket 63 side.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 8, a gap opens between the tail end of conveyance tape 910 and the leading end of standby tape 920, such that first sensor 65 is able to reliably detect the boundary section of conveyance tape 910 and standby tape 920. By fourth engaging protrusions 64 a being formed only at a portion of the circumference of fourth sprocket 64, a configuration is realized in which a gap opens between the tail end of conveyance tape 910 and the leading end of standby tape 920 while curtailing the cost of feeder 21.

Another Embodiment

With the embodiment described above, first sensor 65 is provided downstream of third sprocket 63. The attachment position of first sensor 65 is not restricted to this position, first sensor 65 may be provided downstream of fourth sprocket 64.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

21: feeder; 21 a: supply position; 21 b: main body; 21 d: insertion section; 23: second servo motor (rotation drive section); 38: rail; 63: third sprocket (downstream sprocket); 63 a: third engaging protrusion (downstream engaging protrusion); 64: fourth sprocket (upstream sprocket); 64 a: fourth engaging protrusion (upstream engaging protrusion); 900: carrier tape; 901 b: engaging hole 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A feeder for inserting carrier tape, in which many components are successively stored in a conveyance direction and in which engaging holes which have a prescribed relationship with the components are formed at a regular pitch interval in the conveyance direction, into an insertion section, and feeding the carrier tape such that the components are sequentially supplied to a supply position on a side opposite to the insertion section, the feeder comprising: a main body; a downstream sprocket rotatably provided on the insertion section of the main body; and an upstream sprocket rotatably provided further upstream in the conveyance direction than the downstream sprocket; wherein downstream engaging protrusions that engage with the engaging holes are formed at a fixed angle around an entire outer circumference of the downstream sprocket; and wherein upstream engaging protrusions that engage with the engaging holes are formed at a fixed angle around a first portion of an outer circumference of the upstream sprocket, a second portion of the outer circumference of the upstream sprocket is free of the upstream engaging protrusions, and a circumferential distance of the second portion of the outer circumference of the upstream sprocket is greater than a circumferential distance of the first portion of the outer circumference of the upstream sprocket.
 2. The feeder according to claim 1, wherein a motor is provided on the main body, the motor synchronously rotating the downstream sprocket and the upstream sprocket.
 3. The feeder according to claim 2, further comprising a gear which is driven by the motor, the gear meshing with both a sprocket gear of the downstream sprocket and a sprocket gear of the upstream sprocket. 